PAINTING SIGNS - COSTA RICA

My Art Room Gets a New Look!

Five years of creating in the same room had turned my little art studio into a big art mess and a pack rat den.  Here are some before and after photos of a much needed purge. Many of items were recycled. Lots of stuff went into storage.  The dark blue walls got three coats of cheerful paint. Dark green carpet was swapped for a smaller rug.  Most of the facelift was free! I invested money into some paint and the rest was just time and energy to sort through years of art stuff!!

I am thrilled with the transformation. It is amazing how clutter can slow you down drastically.  I have spent lots of time sitting peacefully and creating in my new space!!!  Yippee!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Ruining the Carpet...

Isn’t it nice to have one space in our lives that isn’t expected to be neat or clean?  

I initiated my art studio in my home with my dearest painting buddy, Abbey.  We sat cross legged on the floor with blank canvases before us and an arsenal of brightly colored, intoxicatingly thick Golden paint jars. Abbey looked at me tentatively, “Should we put something down on the carpet?”  I think I must have smiled a devious grin.  I painted the edges of the canvas without hesitation. The sides of the canvas formed a straight edge for the line of color that was laid down simultaneously on the carpet and canvas. 

There is something exhilarating about doing something that you “really shouldn’t do” as an adult who has just purchased a nice home.  However, I didn’t want this space to be my “adult with a new home” space.  I wanted to destroy the carpet and enjoy every moment. Not for the purpose of destruction but for the purpose of creating.  And for letting go.

Over time the hunter green carpet has become a point of reflection for my art work.  

My fuzzy dark green canvas is developing into a layered, textured piece of art with the focus on the process versus the product.  This carpet is a metaphor for the work I love to create. 

If you have never purposefully “ruined” a perfectly good and functional SOMETHING I highly recommend you do so.  I wasn’t disappointed in the process or with the outcome thus far. Stay tuned for more stories on the creation of my carpet canvas. As I create more work I am sure I will add to the personality of my floor.  I am sure it was made to be painted. It just took a while.